The garage door is a vital feature that protects your home, cars and valuables from bad weather, pests and other neighborhood threats. If your garage door stops working, there are many repair options available.
Minor damage can be fixed, such as dents that affect only the appearance of the door without compromising its structural integrity. Contact Garage Door Repair Buckeye AZ for professional help.
A garage door relies on a series of springs to open and close. These long, coiled mechanisms are crucial to the system’s operation and help lift heavy doors up and down without causing injury or damage. However, over time, these springs can break or become damaged. If this happens, the garage door will no longer be able to function properly.
If your garage door’s springs break, you should contact a professional right away for immediate repair. Not only will a broken spring prevent the door from opening and closing, it could also pose serious safety risks for you and others who use the garage. Here are a few warning signs that your garage door’s spring may be broken:
Visible Gap or Breakage
The most obvious sign of a broken spring is a visible gap or breakage. These springs are tightly wound above the door, and when they break, the released tension will cause them to unwind, creating a visible gap where one of the springs was previously located.
Loose Cables
If you notice your garage door’s cables are loose, this is another clear indication that the springs are breaking. The cables work closely with the springs to help raise and lower the garage door, so when they’re loose, it means the springs are no longer providing enough pressure to keep them in place.
Garage door springs are under a lot of stress, especially when you’re using the door regularly. If you’re experiencing high usage, the springs will eventually wear out and break. This will prevent them from being able to lift the door and can cause other issues with the system, such as damaged panels or a crooked door.
The most common cause of a broken garage door spring is the result of regular usage. If you’re experiencing frequent issues with your garage door, it’s best to call a professional for repairs or replacements as soon as possible. Not only will this ensure that the issue is fixed quickly, but it will also protect your safety and avoid costly damage to other parts of the system.
Damaged Panels
While most garage doors are not indestructible, they do have a tendency to sustain damage from many different sources. Most commonly, this damage is in the form of dents and scrapes from impacts. This can happen from things like cars backing into the door, sports balls hitting the panels, or even a strong wind blowing against the doors. While some dents can be repaired with a little work and a touch of paint, it’s often more economical to simply replace the panel.
Replacing a garage door panel is not an easy task and should only be undertaken by a professional. There is a lot to consider, such as the cost of the replacement and how it will match the rest of the door. A professional can provide you with pricing options so that you can decide if the repair or replacement is right for you.
When it comes to replacing a garage door panel, the extent of the damage will have a significant impact on the decision-making process. A small amount of rust can be repaired with a touch-up, but more extensive damage will require a full panel replacement.
It’s also important to note that if the damage is more than just one panel, it might be more cost-effective to simply replace the entire door. This is particularly true if the door is older and finding matching panels might be difficult.
Depending on the damage to your door, you might be required to report it to your insurance company. In that case, you’ll need to take several pictures of the damaged area and the vehicle. It’s also a good idea to have your local garage door dealer take a look at the damage and inspect it for safety issues.
Another way to reduce the need for expensive repairs is to keep up with regular maintenance. This can include bi-annual inspections, cleaning, and lubrication. While this will not stop all wear and tear, it can go a long way to preventing costly problems down the road. For more information on how to care for your garage door and its components, speak with a Clopay Dealer today.
Broken Cables
Whether they’re extension or torsion spring cables, garage door cables are vital to keeping your doors in good shape. They’re made of heavy-duty twisted wire that can handle the weight and tension of your garage door. When they’re functioning properly, they help your garage doors open and close without issue. But when they break, they can put your doors out of balance and cause serious safety hazards.
Luckily, there are some telltale signs that your garage door cables need to be inspected and possibly replaced. If your garage door is sagging to one side when it opens, for example, that’s a sign that a cable has broken and needs to be replaced immediately.
You should also look for kinks or fraying in your garage door cables. These aren’t just unsightly—they can also put extra stress on other parts of your garage door, leading to further problems and potentially breaking even more cables. Finally, if you hear a loud bang when you use your garage door, that’s another good indication that your cables are breaking.
In addition to normal wear and tear, faulty bearings in a pulley or excessive moisture near the bottom of your garage can accelerate the deterioration of your garage door cables. You should also check your cables regularly for sagging or fraying and replace them as soon as you notice any signs of damage.
When you do have to replace your garage door cables, you should hire a professional. They’ll take the time to loosen and unwind both springs, manually pull the slack from each of the cables, and then reconnect them and tighten them evenly. They’ll then re-wind the drums, test the balance of the garage door, and make any final adjustments to ensure your doors are working well and safely. This type of routine maintenance can help keep your garage door in excellent condition and prevent costly problems down the road.
Misaligned Tracks
The tracks that guide the rollers on your garage door need to be positioned perfectly in order for the door to roll smoothly up and down. Even a slight misalignment can cause the door to stop or jerk and could lead to the track getting bent or warped over time. Identifying this problem early can help you avoid more costly repairs and replacements.
There are a few things that can cause the tracks to become misaligned. This includes age and wear, improper installation, and rust. The best way to prevent this is by performing regular maintenance on your garage door and tracks to catch any signs of misalignment as soon as they appear. This will help you extend the lifespan of your tracks and ensure that they remain properly aligned for as long as possible.
Symptoms of misalignment include unusual grinding and squeaking noises as the door opens and closes or gets stuck at certain points. Using a level to check the alignment of your tracks can also be helpful. A minor track alignment issue can often be fixed by loosening the bolts that hold each track in place and gently tapping them back into place with a rubber mallet.
Once the tracks are repositioned, tighten the bolts to ensure that they stay in place. You may have to repeat this process if the tracks on either side are rubbing against each other, but once they’re straight and in line you can be confident that your garage door will continue to operate smoothly.
A good rule of thumb is to make sure that there is a 1/4 inch gap between the bottom of your garage door and the floor when closed. If you notice that the gap is getting larger, this is an indication that the tracks need to be realigned. This is a relatively simple process and can be completed in most homes by using a wrench to loosen the bolts that secure the track brackets and then using a rubber mallet to tap the tracks into position. Once the tracks are in line, tighten the bolts to ensure that it stays in place.
